It’s always embarrassing for a journalist to realize he or she dropped the ball, but when it comes to the 1991 Canada-Quebec Accord on immigration I’m comforted to know that at least I wasn’t alone.

Back then Canada’s “political class” was consumed with the national unity crisis, and it was pretty real – and often surreal. This was the period between the death of the Meech Lake Accord and the negotiations leading to the failed 1992 Charlottetown Accord, and polls suggested that if Quebec held a referendum on sovereignty – something “federalist” premier Robert Bourassa was openly contemplating – the Yes side would win. Meanwhile, the Mulroney government in Ottawa had its own legitimacy crisis, trying to govern a country when the Tory party was approaching single digits in the polls.

In the midst of all that the federal and Quebec governments quietly struck the immigration deal which granted Quebec transfers starting at $75 million in the first year for immigration resettlement – stuff primarily related to language training. This was supposed to be a component of the Meech Lake Accord, and after Meech died Brian Mulroney was desperate to give the wily Bourassa – who openly supported federalism as long as it was “profitable” for Quebec – something shiny to hold off separatist attacks.

I can find very little coverage of this deal after it was announced, and will paste below the wire story that appeared in many papers. I’m not sure why neither I nor my colleagues looked at this story, saw the increase in transfers from $75 million to $90 million in just five years, and said, waaaait a minute – for how long do these increases continue, and in what way are they justified, and how does this compare with money spent elsewhere in Canada to settle immigrants?

On the other hand, check the date – the news release was issued shortly after Christmas, when I and most other press gallery reporters were on holidays. Strategic timing is a critical component for any underhanded government operator trying to low-ball a likely unpopular initiative. This is the same time, for instance, when prime ministers like to announce Senate appointments. I assume that by the time we all returned after New Year’s Day we either didn’t notice this happened, or considered it old news.

Last month I did a story on this “unsustainable” agreement that gave Quebec $285 million in resettlement funds last year, or close to triple what the province actually spends on such services, then-immigration minister Jason Kenney (left, after cabinet shuffle in July) told me. And this week I reported on problems created for B.C. as a result of Quebec bringing in thousands of “investor immigrants” who end up in B.C. Quebec gets their money, we get the social program costs. The benefits to Canada as a whole are pretty marginal, as the $800,000 entry fee, in the form of an interest-free loan repayable to the immigrant in five years, is laughably cheap. The foregone interest amounts to $90,000 over five years. Imagine – the promise of citizenship in arguably the world’s most attractive country to a rich foreigner who very likely doesn’t speak English or French, and is under no obligation to actually work or invest in Canada, for a measly $90,000 contribution to Canadian society.

The federal government desperately wants to at least double this pricetag, but Quebec refuses. If Canada unilaterally increases it to $1.6 million, then of course even more of the applications will go to Quebec, which happily takes the loans and the $10,000-per-applicant fees, while Quebec financial institutions lend immigrants the money and immigration consultants rake in $80,000 fees for each applicant. I’m told Ottawa may proceed regardless of Quebec’s intransigence, hopeful that other tactics initiated by Ottawa will prevent a flood of B.C.-bound millionaire migrants heading to the Quebec program.

I shouldn’t be too hard on myself and the other media, since by the time we learned of this deal it was already set in stone, so critical coverage would have meant nothing. While in am somewhat sympathetic towards politicians dealing with what was a legitimate national crisis, this was of course a mess largely of Mulroney’s making given that he launched Meech in the first place. And it is utterly unconscionable that a government would strike what has turned out to be a deal Ottawa now views as constitutional in nature (that is, it can’t be changed without Quebec’s consent), without revealing the full details to the public and seeking input in advance.

Reporters weren’t alone in being largely oblivious to this development.

So far I’ve contacted three cabinet ministers from that era – former prime minister Kim Campbell, former B.C. fisheries minister Tom Siddon, and former Unity Minister Joe Clark – and none recalled any discussion about or consideration of this escalator clause that has, and will, result in fat increases every year as long as Quebec is part of Canada. More important, Mulroney’s chief of staff at the time, Norman Spector, also didn’t recall much about this development other than his boss’s edict to “do the deal.” Spector was at the heart of all national unity discussions and developments. If you recall CBC journalists back then referring to “senior sources” revealing the latest machinations on unity issues, chances are they were referring to Spector. I find it shocking that no one seems to recall a discussion around the cabinet table along the lines of: “Can we afford this?”

What I find fascinating is that the Canadian negotiator on this deal was a senior bureaucrat named Andre Burelle, a Quebecer who according to one book on this period was alienated by Pierre Trudeau’s patriation of the Constitution in 1981-82 without Quebec’s consent, and who was a fan of “asymmetrical federalism” that gives some provinces more powers than others. Strikes me that we had a situation in which Quebec nationalists were on both sides of the table, negotiating with little thought to the Canadian interests at stake. I made a couple of attempts Friday to reach M. Burelle, to no avail. Anyone who has contact information for him, please send to me at poneil@postmedia.com. If I’m misunderstanding something I would be happy to correct the record.

Maybe we all felt we had bigger fish to fry, or maybe there was a deliberate attempt to sneak this sweetheart deal through without anyone knowing the full implications. It strikes me that there’s a potential book to be written about this pact struck when Canada had a separatist knife at its throat. This isn’t ancient history. It haunts us still.

Ottawa and Quebec announced a $332-million agreement yesterday that would give the province exclusive control over the selection of independent immigrants.

The five-year agreement, which is to take effect April 1, was reached between federal Immigration Minister Barbara McDougall and Quebec Immigration Minister Monique Gagnon-Tremblay.

Until now, the two governments shared responsiblity for the selection of independent immigrants coming to Quebec.

Independent immigrants are those who don’t fall into the refugee category and who don’t come to Canada under the family reunification program. Quebec estimates that 60 per cent of the people coming to the province each year are independents.

Canada will grant entry to about 220,000 immigrants next year and Quebec is guaranteed 25 per cent of that quota. The target will climb to 250,000 a year in 1992 through 1995.

Besides the guarantee of 25 per cent, Quebec also has an option of an additional 5 per cent to compensate for several years of a decling birthrate.

“The new agreement … will clearly give Quebec additional means of recruiting immigrants and integrating them into Quebec society, while preserving the unity of the basic Canadian immigration policy,” McDougall said in a statement.

The deal also gives Quebec control over linguistic and cultural integration of its immigrants – a major sticking point during negotiations – as well as economic integration services available to permanent residents.

As compensation for gaining some of the responsibilities traditionally held by Ottawa, the federal government will give Quebec $75 million in fiscal year 1991-92, $82 million in 1993-93, $85 million in 1993-94 and $90 million in 1994-95.

Talks between Ottawa and Quebec on immigration began after the June 23 death of the Meech Lake constitutional accord.

While granting Quebec increasing immigration powers, the agreement says Canada has exclusive responsibility for setting national standards and objectives for immigration. It also states that Ottawa has control over the admission of all immigrants.

Ottawa will continue to set medical standards for immigrants, ensure applicants have valid passports or visas, and check for criminal records of applicants.

The agreement is subject to the Canadian and Quebec Charters of Rights and therefore respects the mobility rights of immigrants and their right to protection against all discrimination.

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